Man City launch £45m De Bruyne bid

Manuel Pellegrini’s side are determined to get their man and have put the ball in Wolfsburg’s court with a tempting offer that includes £40m up front and £5m of guaranteed add-ons

By Paul ClennamManchester City have tabled a £45 million offer for Wolfsburg winger Kevin De Bruyne, Goal understands.

The offer comprises of £40m up front, with £5m of guaranteed add-ons, as Manuel Pellegrini’s side look to finally seal a deal for the Belgian international, whom they have tracked for the majority of the summer.

Goal understands City are keen to push through the deal in the coming days and have thus arranged for a flight to England to be on stand-by for the former Chelsea star, who was named Bundesliga player of the year for last season.

Wolfsburg sporting director Klaus Allofs insisted on August 1 that De Bruyne was “99.9%” certain to stay put but conceded that the club would listen to the offer should City make their move.

ON TARGET | De Bruyne impressed in Saturday’s win over Stuttgarter KickersAnd Pellegrini’s side now look likely to get their man, with Goal reporting on Wednesday that De Bruyne’s camp met with the German club to express the player’s desire to leave for the Etihad Stadium.

De Bruyne, who has excelled with Wolfsburg following his £18m move from Chelsea in 2014, started and scored for Dieter Hecking’s side in Saturday’s German Cup clash against Stuttgarter Kickers.

That could be his final appearance in a Wolfsburg shirt, however, with City desperate to get the deal over the line as they look to add to the summer arrivals of Raheem Sterling, Fabian Delph, Enes Unal, and Patrick Roberts.